Jack Name

Bringing a psychedelic edge to his seemingly polished indie compositions, Los Angeles-based producer, songwriter, and solo performer Jack Name layers fuzz and reverb over a distorted perspective on pop within his understated tracks that draw from 1970s influences. After issuing a pair of albums on separate independent labels during the first half of the 2010s, he vanished from sight for several years until resurfacing with Magic Touch on Mexican Summer in 2020. The eclectic and loosely conceptual Fabulous Soundtracks appeared the following year on the British label Maple Death.

John Webster Johns records as Jack Name and has also released material under the names the Fictional Boys and Muzz, along with additional aliases. A steady presence in the Los Angeles underground since the late 1990s, Johns has generated countless recordings and collaborated with artists including Cass McCombs while playing guitar in White Fence’s live band. Expanding the psychedelic and experimental pop directions of his earlier work, his initial outing under the Jack Name name was the sci-fi-oriented Light Show, issued in January 2014 by God? Records, a Drag City imprint. A move to Castle Face Records led to the follow-up album Weird Moons in early 2015.

Releases under the Jack Name banner stayed minimal over the next five years, but he returned in 2020. That year U.S. Girls recorded his song “Born to Lose” for their critically acclaimed album Heavy Light. November also brought his third album, Magic Touch, again through Mexican Summer. Another four-year interval passed before he reemerged, this time on London’s Maple Death Records. Sonically broader than the gritty Magic Touch, the 2024 release Fabulous Soundtracks unfolded like a series of vignettes, each track conjuring a distinct scene supplied with its own bespoke soundtrack.